Darkest Before the Dawn

She cringed as shrill shrieks pierced the peaceful silence. At least she’d been awake this time. Her eyes followed the peeled wallpaper, frowning as always in weary distaste. She supposed it was the supercilious side of her that caused her to do this that grew along through her childhood as if like a stuffed bear. She had nothing to complain about; growing up in a pearly-white mansion had its perks along with its oh-so-charming condescending guests and foolish owner. Mother absolutely despised even the thought of paint and its nauseating fumes and had even denied her the chore of painting the cracked walls. Often she wondered if this were her punishment from god for being an ungrateful child.

Groaning, she rolled off the bed and twisted to the side to crack her back. When one by one, the pops sounded, she sighed in mild relief before heading off to Mother’s room. The screams had become normal somehow; she hardly even noticed them now. It was almost like background noise; like chatter or music in a diner. It wasn’t distracting enough anymore to draw her away from her almost cynical and borderline depressing thoughts. She couldn’t help but realize what she was becoming. And what really amazed her was the fact that she almost didn’t care what she was causing to herself.

Without even batting an eyelash at the sight before her, Penelope turned on the lamp on the table flooding the room with artificial light. She dug into the drawer, pulling out a surprisingly light bottle. When she popped open the cap, her heart sank to her toes. They were all gone.

She suddenly realized that her mother had snuck more than usual. That’s why she was acting strange today, She thought to herself. A mixture of anger and disgust ran through her, making her tense and clench her fists. As if finally realizing what was happening, she looked at her mother, whose blonde hair was matted with sweat to her face. She stopped screaming, but her face was still scrunched up in fear. Or maybe pain. It was always hard to tell nowadays. She’d tried to ease her off for a few days, but she’d been worse than she had been with them. And she never wanted to put Braxton through that again. She may be turning into a monster, but she wasn’t selfish like her mother. She promised to take care of him, now that her mother couldn’t.

A long sigh eased out of her as she realized what she needed to do. She glared once more at her mother before softly slipping off the bed. She turned off the light before exiting the room. Now the silence, instead of being as comfortable as it was just ten minutes ago, made her only feel worse for what she was about to do.

Glancing at the clock, she realized she would have two hours to get in and out. She figured that would be enough time. Quickly, she got dressed and grabbed a handful of crumbled bills that sat on her dresser. She hoped Braxton would still be sleeping. Eventually he got used to the screams like his sister. Quietly, she crept up to Braxton’s room. He’d always been a heavy sleeper, but she didn’t want to take any chances. If she woke him up, her entire plan would be ruined.

The door creaked open loudly, the sound echoing throughout the monstrous house. She winced before peering into the darkness, letting her eyes adjust. Her eyes found their way to the heap of pillows and blankets that were askew, along with long, limber limbs. Soft snores filled the room, giving her a bit of reassurance before she tiptoed over to the bedside. She gazed down lovingly at her brother, kissing him gently on his cheek. A frown turned the sides of her mouth down as she looked at the expression on his face. Anguish and fear were present on the boy’s face, his pale eyebrows scrunched up and his mouth set in a deep frown. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped on the side of his head. Taking her sleeve, she worriedly ran it over his clammy skin, pushing aside his choppy bangs. She straightened his pillows and the blanket, tucking him in. The look on his face quickly disappeared and was replaced with a small smile. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. As quietly as she came in, she started to sneak out of the dark room, stealing one more fleeting look at the sleeping figure before shutting the door.

Her small, petite body reached the door, pausing momentarily to glance in the mirror. She pushed the gnarled and tangled bleach blonde hair out of her face, pulling her hood down momentarily to rearrange it in a way that wasn’t as irritating. Even in the darkness she could make out the dark, almost bruise-like circles under her eyes, reminding her of how tired she was. Before she could help herself, a monstrous yawn escaped her lips. She shook her head at the mirror in disgust, bowing her head and rubbing her eyes as she opened the large door.

A blast of cold wind smacked her in the face, throwing the hood off of her face. Chills rose on her flesh, making a harsh shudder run through her petite frame. Gasping, she pulled the hoodie over her hands, which suddenly grew cold. She shifted in her boots, the only things that kept her from running inside. She forgot how bitter and freezing it had become lately. She pulled the door behind herself, locking it with shaky fingers.

“Damn,” She whispered, frowning. She was no match for cold weather.

Walking briskly helped slightly, she found. Her hands went in her pocket, holding the crumpled bills. Another hand reached in her back pocket and grabbed the small bottle of pepper spray, giving her a sense of protection, even if in reality she had none. Her hands momentarily left her pockets to send a quick text to Jared.

I need a refill. Meet me at our usual spot in 15.

The feeling of eyes on her wasn’t unusual. She knew that she was a naturally beautiful girl, even if she were in a hoodie and was filthy. But this was a different feeling. And it wasn’t good. It didn’t help much that she was in the worst part of town. Another horrible shiver ran up her spine, making her grimace.

Soon enough, she reached the outside of the bar, which had closed maybe an hour earlier. Leaning against the wall was Jared, an unreadable look in his eyes. She suddenly felt uneasy. Where was his cocky smirk? She knew something was wrong instantly as she reached him. He nodded to her, skipping his usual flirting, and dug into his pockets for the bottle of pills. Before handing it to her, he held out his hand.

“You brought the money.” He stated, more than asked, knowing that she did. She nodded and slipped the wrinkled money into his palm. She looked into his green eyes, which were unusually sad, narrowing her own.

Just as she was about to ask what was going on, a low chuckle echoed throughout the alleyway. “You know, Jared, I knew you were scum, but I didn’t realize how bad you really were until now.”

Startled, she stepped back and looked around, only to crash into a body. Eyes widening, she spun around, meeting eyes with the stranger.

The man smiled, making her stomach flop around in fear. “And, you, my dear, aren’t much better for even associating with him.” She took in his appearance, frowning with confusion. The man wore a brown bowler hat, along with what looked like a tailored suit made from the early nineteen hundreds. His dark eyes seemed to pierce hers, making her only get more panicky.

“Who are you?” She demanded, making space between the two.

He cocked his head to the side, ignoring her question, a look of awe and bewilderment apparent on his face. “Interesting,” He murmured.

Suddenly a struggle broke out beside her. Her head snapped to the side to see Jared being pinned to the wall by two more men, who were dressed the same as the stranger. The only difference she could tell between their odd ensembles was that they had white bowler hats on instead of the other’s brown.

“Let me go!” Jared cried, trying to twist his body away. “I did what you asked, okay? I brought her here.”

What? Penelope thought in shock and betrayal. Confusion kept her rooted in place, unable to look away from the man who apparently sold her out. What the hell did this bastard get me into? She thought miserably, staring at the blonde.

The man nodded, looking deep in thought. Absentmindedly, he said, “Ah, that is true, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that you actually did it. Why should I take pity on a man like you?”

“We had a fucking deal,” Jared screamed, his eyes shining with fear and panic.

The man shook out of his thoughts, stepping close to the pinned man. “I said I wouldn’t kill you. I never said I wouldn’t do what I’m going to do now.” He looked at the two men who held Jared to the wall and nodded once. Dismissively he stepped away.

Penelope’s eyes stayed to the two men, who grinned at each other like kids at a candy store. She expected them to bring out a gun or a knife, but she wouldn’t have ever thought they’d do what they did next.

One brought his lips to Jared’s neck, who was starting to sweat profusely. She furrowed her eyes in confusion before she realized that he was biting the other boy. A scream of pain left Jared’s mouth, his eyes shutting tightly. His arms and legs shook like leaves on a tree, his fists clenching and unclenching. The other on his right leaned over and did the same, sinking his teeth into the blonde’s neck like butter.

She stepped back, her mouth gaping open. Just as a yell of horror wanted to leave her lips, a gloved hand slapped over her mouth. Heart beating wildly in her chest, she realized that she had walked right into the arms of the first man. His breath ticked the back of her ear as he whispered, “Gotcha’.”

A muffled shriek finally left her lips, making the monsters on top of Jared glance back at them, sick smirks on their faces. Blood dripped off of their chins, falling on the cement. She screamed louder into the man’s clothed palm, only making the man chuckle against her.

“Shh, shh, shh,” The man whispered into her ear, his arms winding around her torso and arms, “Don’t be afraid, kitten. It’s okay.” She wriggled in his grasp, surprised at his strength. His grip on her hardly budged, filling her with dread. She felt like a cornered mouse, as the feeling of lips on her neck trailed up to the spot under her jaw. She shivered for what felt like the tenth time that night as his tongue darted out from between his lips and licked the skin there.

Oh god, oh god, oh god, She screamed in her head repeatedly.

“God’s a myth, you know,” He murmured almost casually against her skin, as if reading her mind. Goosebumps rose on her chilled arms. If possible, her heart thudded against her chest faster. The man moaned almost instantly against her skin, his grip on her tightening. She felt his teeth skim over her neck, making her shake with fear.

“Let go of the girl, Beckett,” A man said. Her eyes darted over to the opening of the alley, seeing the four dark figures.

The man leaned away from her neck, thankfully, sighing in annoyance, “Go along, hunters. This isn’t your business.”

“Let her go,” The man beside him snarled, a nasty, feral look in his eyes.

A low growl rumbled from the man’s chest, and she gasped as he tightened his hold on her. Suddenly, his hold on her went slack, and she stumbled forward, falling on her hands and knees. He looked up to see the man with a smug, mysterious smirk on his face. She gulped and crawled away to the wall opposite of him, now noticing that the men that had bitten Jared had Jared’s slack body between them, standing on ‘Beckett’s’ left.

He winked at her, making her skin crawl. “I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”

Her head spinning and her breathing uneven, Penelope barely noticed the ‘hunters’ had rushed to her side.

“Are you okay?” One asked, concern clouding his eyes.

“Peachy,” She gasped sarcastically, just before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell forward unconscious.